A. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a step assembly, and more particularly to a vehicle step assembly, such as for a pickup truck, a sport utility vehicle (SUV), a non-commercial vehicle, an all terrain vehicle (ATV) or other land vehicle for example.
B. Background of the Invention
Presently, one step assembly is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,732,996 (the “'996 patent”). The '996 patent discloses a tailgate step with a hinge assembly and a step assembly attached to the inside panel of the tailgate near its upper edge. The step assembly in the '996 patent freely rotates about a hinge pivot rod, which is positioned proximate and parallel to the upper edge of the tailgate. The step frame rests in a deployed position by contact with the tailgate due to the positioning of the hinge pivot rod.
The '996 patent suffers from many problems characteristic of existing step assemblies. In one aspect, the '996 step assembly must be mounted on a vehicle tailgate, which typically is not designed to support substantial loading. In a related aspect, the '996 step assembly must be mounted on the tailgate facing rearward. Thus, the '996 step assembly is not designed to be mounted facing a side of the vehicle (for example, a passenger side to facilitate bed access from the passenger side). Further, the '996 step assembly is designed to be mounted on a vehicle with a tailgate, thus it is not useful for mounting on a cargo van or delivery truck which may not have a tailgate surface for mounting the step assembly. In a related aspect, mounting the '996 step assembly on the tailgate may not be aesthetically pleasing, as the step assembly is visible even in a stored position. In another aspect, the '996 step assembly freely rotates about a hinge pivot rod, and does not provide a lockable stepping platform for the user, because the freely rotating hinge does not provide a secure locking member.
A second step assembly is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,170,842 (the “'842 patent”). The '842 patent discloses a step assembly attached to the outer face of a vehicle bumper. The step assembly comprises a swinging step frame, which may be swung from a stored position to a deployed position. Unlike the '996 step assembly, the swinging step frame is locked in a position by a lock device which is automatically operative under the influence of gravity for locking the step in both positions, thereby providing a lockable stepping platform for the user.
The '842 patent, however, also suffers from many problems characteristic of existing step assemblies. As aforementioned with the '996 patent, the '842 patent is also mounted on a rearward facing surface, and is not designed to be mounted on a side of the vehicle. In another aspect, the '842 patent requires a substantially flat vertical surface for mounting the step assembly, which is not present on many bumper designs of existing vehicles. Further, the '842 step assembly may also not be aesthetically pleasing as it is also visible in the stored position.